


Failures of a 'Supposed' Friend

by McKayRulez



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Allergies, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Bad Decisions, Bad Ideas, Episode: s10e03 The Pegasus Project, Hurt Rodney McKay, Hypochondria, M/M, Obsessive Behavior, Post Episode: s02e06 Trinity, Rodney McKay Whump, Rodney McKay's Citrus Allergy, Timeline What Timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 06:28:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19000216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McKayRulez/pseuds/McKayRulez
Summary: John has a 'brilliant' plan to help Rodney overcome what Sheppard views are his "problems"..Sounds good on paper, but.. Oh, wait no. Strike that. Nope. None of it sounds good.Not. At. All.





	Failures of a 'Supposed' Friend

"Why are we doing this?" Ronon asked boredly.

"Because it's the only way to fix, McKay." Sheppard replied in ernest as he looked at his list of ideas.

"I don't think McKay needs fixing." Teyla responded as she lightly bounced Torren. Her eyes looking down at Sheppard's plan.

"Come on. You guys got to admit McKay has his hang ups."

Ronon shrugged in reluctant agreement, and Teyla diplomatically chose not to answer.

Ever since Arcturus had showed Sheppard just how deep McKay could go in his own obsessions, Sheppard had begun thinking of ways to help Rodney out of his neurosis. McKay might not like it now, but once he was 'normal' Sheppard knew he'd thank him.

"All you got to do is keep him in the closet."

Ronon crossed his arms and stared at Sheppard. Teyla raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"It'll get him accustomed to small spaces, then he'll lose the claustrophobia." 'Obviously' Sheppard thought to himself.

Teyla frowned. "Didn't he already do that when the Jumper sank?"

"Well.. Yeah,.. but that's different.."

"How?"

"Because, it wasn't a claustrophobia thing that time, it was an underwater thing."

"It was still a small space." Teyla reasoned, not understanding Sheppard's logic.

"He was in a life and death situation, so of course it didn't cure him! It probably just made him worse!"

"Quarantine." Ronon grunted.

"Huh?

"McKay was stuck in a small room during that quarantine scare." Ronon tilted his head. "Still didn't cure him."

"Yeah, but it was 'again', another life and death situation."

"No, it wasn't." Ronon countered.

"Yeah, but he didn't know that at the time!"

Teyla and Ronon stared at him unconvinced and Sheppard sighed audibly. "Fine... Let's table that one for now.. How about his citrus phobia?"

"McKay calls it an allergy, not a phobia." Teyla corrected.

Sheppard lowered his brow, "Yeah, he just thinks that. We all know it's not true."

"I didn't know that." Ronon replied lazily.

"Neither did I."

Sheppard shook his head. "Let's not lose focus, okay guys? Just carry some lemons on you at all times. I already gave Cameron one so we're covered on that front." John leaned down, grabbing his bag from the ground and taking out some lemons he had taken from the mess hall.

"I don't see how exposing him to Citrus fixes anything?" Teyla looked distastefully at the fruit. "Will it not just irritate and scare him?"

John pointed to his temple. "Not if we prove to him that it's all just in his head. He's a scientist. He'll accept the evidence once it gets through his thick skull that he was wrong. The more we expose him to these lemons the more he'll realize he isn't breaking out into hives at the sight of them."

"This is a stupid plan." Ronon stated bluntly.

"I agree."

"Fine!" Sheppard shoved the fruits back into his backpack. "I guess I'll just do this on my own! Apparently, I'm the only one who cares about Rodney!"

Teyla looked genuinely offended at this. "We care about McKay! We just don't agree with these methods!"

"Then give me some ideas!"

"I can't." Teyla responded, as she looked down at her baby and began to rock him.

"Because you can't think of a better way!"

"No.." Teyla slowly looked up from Torren's face and gazed at Sheppard sadly. "Because I don't think there's a problem to fix to begin with."

"How can you say that? You know how McKay can be."

"I do know. He is my friend and that is just how he is.. Just as much as I wouldn't ask any culture we come across to change, I wouldn't try to change him, if he doesn't wish to be changed."

Sheppard closed his eyes and shook his head. Telya was just to nice and accepting of everyone. That was her gift and her problem. She just wouldn't understand that this was for the best. He then looked to Ronon. "What about you?"

"It's a dumb idea." Dex tilted his head and shrugged. "And I just don't care."

Sheppard sighed. Of course he didn't. Then he guessed it really was just him. 

“We have a saying on Earth.” 

Teyla looked up at him curious and Ronon watched him as Sheppard stood. 

“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” 

\--

Project citrus was off to a rocky start. Cameron had indeed threatened McKay with a citrus and it did motivate McKay to work faster and better, which Sheppard took an interested note of when Cameron filled him in later, but again this didn't remove the phobia element. Just enforced it in a positive way.

Thus, Sheppard concluded, he needed stronger evidence.

However, his first try was over, before it even began. 

Rodney felt his skin crawl and grow itchy. He knew what that signalled before he even saw it.

“Sheppard!”

He raised a finger, just as John took a step into his lab. He didn’t even bother to turn around to face him. Instead, he kept his eyes glued to his laptop annoyed.

Zelenka glanced up, opposite from McKay confused. 

“What?” John feigned innocents.

“Go outside, and drop it in a trash can. As far from me as possible, preferably the a whole different pier.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The citus.”

John gave no response, but he did put his hands in his pockets.

“I’m not joking.” McKay warned.

Sheppard strolled up to the side of Rodney’s desk and leaned over to look him in the face. Blue angry eyes turned to worry when he saw him up close. He raised an eyebrow.

Radek looked between the two men, then noticed the yellow colour peeking out between Sheppard’s thumb and finger, that he was trying to hide in his pockets. He looked to Rodney. “How did you know?”

He sweated a little, skin turning red with hives and the itching worsened. “My allergy ‘spidey sense’ picked up on it. I’m highly sensitive, you know.” Rodney looked down, scratching his neck and mumbled upset and feeling betrayed. “I can’t believe you gave Cameron one.”

John frowned. “Sorry.” 

McKay frowned and tightened his hold on his feelings. Sheppard was only making his condition worse until he left. It he really was sorry, he would have known that and stopped. He pointed to the door. “Go.” When John didn’t move, he spoke with more authority he reserved for his unruly minions. “ NOW!” 

Zelenka gave Sheppard an uneasy look. “You should probably do as he asks.” If John put Rodney in a mood the whole lab would suffer for the rest of the day. 

At first, John just looked at the two, then finally, when both scientists stopped talking to him and started to ignore him completely, as they went on to technobabble, he gave a small sigh and left reluctantly. He figured this could have been some subconscious after effect from his stint with Cameron. 

He’d have to try again when McKay wasn’t already dwelling on it. 

\--

A few days later, they returned through the stargate at breakneck speeds, as the angry villagers hunted them down. 

McKay trudged back to the locker rooms, heavy footed and breathing hard, panting. 

Ronon and Teyla looked as fine as ever, and easily slipped off their gear and were gone in minutes for the mission debrief. 

Sheppard was only slightly out of breath, but took his time undoing his vest and putting his gear away, as he kept glancing at McKay’s slow progress. His eyes slid over to his locker, then back at McKay, then back to his locker, as he pulled out a water bottle from it and offered it to McKay. 

John frowned. “You look like you could use some water.” 

“Oh, thanks.” His huffed out forcefully over his gasps. He took it and drank, then frowned and pulled it from his lips and glanced at the bottle’s label. 

John cleared his throat, breaking his concentration. “So, after the debrief, do you want to hang out? Some new movies were sent from Earth.” 

Rodney frowned as he breathed heavy, eyes looking distant. His lungs taking all his concentration as they suddenly constricted more. He felt almost faint. 

“McKay?” John tilted his head, trying to get in his field of vision. 

“Huh?” McKay looked up, blinking the splotches of colour from his eyes, and scratched his neck that was starting to turn pink. 

“Me, you? Movies together?” 

Oh, uh.. Sure.” He shook his head, trying to shake the dizziness from the run and scratched his arm and forehead.

“Well.” John smiled. “Let’s go to that debrief.” 

As they walked the halls together, Rodney kept coughing and wheezing. John gave him a teasing look. “We got to get you in shape, buddy.” He slapped his back. 

Rodney frowned with a painful look in his eyes and a slant grim lips. He throat felt scratchy, hell, his whole body felt scratchy. He drank another swig of Sheppard’s bottle but no amount of water was helping the ache in his throat. His breathing hadn’t improved either. “I don’t know what’s wrong.. I…” He looked to John. “I don’t feel so good. Maybe I should go see Dr. Beckett..” There was a flash of hypochondria in his eyes. “Ugh, I hope I didn’t catch any disease from that planet.” 

They made it to the stairs, as John stared at him intently and put an arm over his. “Don’t worry about it. You be f-” 

Rodney abruptly stopped walking as pain racked his abdomen. He hunched over, arm over his stomach, gritting his teeth as his breathing grew more shallow.

Teyla peered over the railing. “Is something wrong?” She asked concerned. 

Rodney struggled to breathe and began to hyperventilate and fell on the stairs as the spots in his vision grew worse and darkened around the edges. 

“McKay?” John knelt down and Chuck and the gate technicians looked up from their consoles concerned. 

Soon, Teyla was by there side and was shocked at what she saw. Red splotches that dotted McKay’s skin and he was sweating profusely as he gasped ineffectually for air as his throat had swollen. 

Chuck hit the comms warrily. “Medical team to the gateroom.”

\--

“YOU DID WHAT?!” 

John looked up from where he sat interrogated, and sheepishly gazed at a furious Dr. Beckett, Dr. Keller and Colonel Carter. He didn’t speak. 

“You, of all people..” Carson admonished stunned. 

Keller paced agitated. She had been the one who had found the evidence. Ever since then she was too angry to even speak. 

When John continued to say nothing, Carter looked from the doctors, then to the Colonel. “Look..” She let go of her neatly held hands and gestured to him. “I know how dealing with McKay can be.. Believe me, I’ve known him a lot longer than anyone here.. But to go so far as to-”

“I didn’t try to kill him.” John cut her off.

Keller stopped her pacing suddenly, and finally broke her silence. She raised her hands as she practically yelled. “YOU DELIBERATELY PUT LEMON JUICE IN A WATER BOTTLE!” 

“I..” John looked away. “Didn’t think it would do anything..” 

“Then what did you think it would do?” Carson asked gently. 

Carson’s kindness made John almost wonder if the three of them were putting on a good cop bad cop routine. “I thought I could prove to him it wasn’t real.”

Carter frowned, then raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“I thought I could cure him.” 

“It’s called a ‘deathly allergy’ son. You can’t suddenly fix that.” Carson replied quietly. 

Keller glared, baring her teeth. “You thought you could cure him by killing him! What type of logic is that?!” 

“I.. I thought it wasn’t real! I really thought it wouldn’t do anything!” 

Woolsey entered the room, having gated from Earth at the IOA’s insistence when they heard what had happened to their scientific asset under.. ‘Questionable circumstances’.. Not the usual gateworld activity or enemy fire fight.. But by one of the military's own officers against a civilian.. 

Sam took a deep breath and stood up straighter when Woolsey entered, trying to look more formal as a boss. 

John’s voice lowered and his face became stern. “What are you doing here?” 

“To write up about your case to the IOA board before the hearing.” 

“Hearing… Is this..” John looked between the doctors, who averted his gaze, Keller looking angry, arms crossed, while Carson looked at the floor sadly, then to Sam who looked worried, then back to Woolsey who was impassive. “Am I on trial?” 

“That happens to a person when they-.” 

Woolsey was cut off as Sheppard yelled, “I didn’t try to kill him!” 

“Maybe not in your mind, but the facts are facts. McKay’s allergy records were public knowledge and many have testified already the he has stated clearly to you on numerous occasions that he’s deathly allergic to citrus.” 

“Again. I thought it was psychological! He’s a hypochondriac and he blows everything out of proportion! Just ask anyone, they’ll tell you!” 

“I’ve already gathered some eyewitness accounts from the gate staff when I arrived, but I will be conducting more in depth formal interviews after we speak.”

“This is ridiculous!” 

Keller finally looked directly at him, shooting him a glare that could kill. “Any more ridiculous than thinking deathly allergies aren’t real and don’t really kill?”


End file.
